Performances

Tune of the Day: Madrigal

by Philippe Gaubert

Philippe Gaubert was one of the great players in the French Flute School of the early 20th-Century, as well as a noted composer and conductor. Gaubert composed a wide variety of instrumental, orchestral and vocal music, plus two operas, and it is not surprising that many of his most effective compositions are for flute.

“Madrigal” was composed in 1908, the year Gaubert's teacher Paul Taffenel died. The introduction appears to have been inspired by César Franck's violin sonata, while there is a connection with Fauré melodically. This is one of the composer's best-loved pieces, and one that provides a succinct introduction to the virtues of his several miniatures for the flute: clarity of form, economy of means, and warmth of expression.